indicates Critics' Pick
Flushed floats
FLUSHED written, directed and performed by Kate Gordon, Lorna Wright and Jessica Whyte. Presented by Conquering a Lady at Factory Studio. July 13 at 11:30 pm, July 15 at 3:30 pm. Rating: NNN
The cool collective of Kate Gordon, Lorna Wright and Jessica Whyte use rap music, choreography and lots of imagination to explore every sticky surface of women's washrooms. There's an urban edge to the show, as the trio riff hilariously on themes like graffiti and tampon crises, as well as more serious issues like drugs and negotiating sex in dance clubs. Emotionally, the show could be richer, but the women have energy and enthusiasm to burn, and Wright is especially good at conveying the anger beneath a sweet smile. GS
Pop Bottle
THE HEART IN A BOTTLE by Paul Quarrington, directed by Maggie Huculak. Presented by Fizzy Dream Productions at the Poor Alex. July 12 at 12:30 pm, July 13 at midnight, July 15 at 7 pm. Rating: NNN
Novelist Paul Quarrington makes a rare theatrical foray with this tale of an aging pop singer -- he calls himself semi-retired, others say washed up -- who visits the woman who inspired his big hit. The quirky comedy is studded with some great dialogue, and Greg Ellwand, under Maggie Huculak's careful and subtle direction, is powerful as the mission- and drug-driven singer. Too bad Dorothy Bennie, alternately forced or too neutral, never gets beneath the surface of his former teenage girlfriend, whose inspiration wasn't quite as spiritual as the hit song suggests. JK
Great days
TUESDAYS & SUNDAYS written and performed by Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn, directed by Wojtek Kozlinski. Presented by D&M Productions at the Tarragon Extra Space. July 13 at 3 pm, July 14 at 6:30 pm. Rating: NNNN
Village teens meet, fall in love and part tragically in Tuesdays & Sundays, a tiny, near-perfect Fringe show from Edmonton. With dialogue that resembles quick little brush strokes, writer/performers Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn shift tones and rhythms expertly to paint portraits not only of the young, impetuous lovers but also of those around them. The piece -- full of human comedy and accurate observations of how people misinterpret unspoken emotions -- explodes with life and energy in the fresh, immediate performances, Wojtek Kozlinski's clean direction and Catherine Mudryk's simple, elegant design that floats the actors in a starry limbo. Don't miss it. JK
Enter laughing
LAST LAUGH written and directed by Wolfgang Bueller. Presented by Canned Laughter at the Robert Gill. July 13 at 12:30 pm, July 14 at 4 pm. Rating: NNNN
Wolfgang Bueller's affectionate look at the rise of the Rumoli Brothers, two fictional entertainers during the 1940s, is so funny it should knock your suspenders and spats off. Filled with corny dialogue, fresh comedy routines and some nicely styled croony ballads, the atmospheric show revives all the clichés of the era without feeling smug or tired. The brothers' chemistry is genuine, since they're played by the smooth-voiced Brandon Firla and his loopy-featured and fearless brother Kurt Firla. Both are well supported by love interest Daniela Lama and Cyrus Lane as every agent/producer/gangster/radio host you've ever seen in a cheesy old film. Terrific fun. GS
Brits back
PURE HOOPAL created and performed by Peter Mielniczek and Chris Gibbs. Presented by Hoopal at Royal St. George's College (120 Howland). July 12 at 9:15 pm, July 13-14 at 10:45 pm, July 15 at 4 pm. Rating: NNN
A surprise hit at the last Fringe, Brits Peter Mielniczek and Chris Gibbs are back as a late addition this year. Their physical comedy -- fast, zany and full of bizarre curve balls -- is sheer delight, and their chemistry beats anything in a post-grad lab. Chemistry, in fact, is one of the gags, as the pair explore the nature of good and evil in all of us, turning Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde in the process. A ukulele, extreme body crunches, black-tape moustaches and a 10-ton weight are also part of the action. I haven't seen such onstage anarchy since Mump and Smoot. JK
Justice wins
BLACK JACK JUSTICE written and directed by Gregg Taylor. Presented by Decoder Ring at Factory Mainspace. July 12 at 8 pm, July 14 at 5 pm, July 15 at 1:30 pm. Rating: NNN
It takes a while to heat up, but once it's smoking, Gregg Taylor's Black Jack Justice goes off with a bang. Set in a 1940s radio station, there's a built-in suspense factor as the writer of a detective serial (Mike McPhaden) falls off the wagon, leaving a band of shoulder-padded performers (including the excellent Todd Dulmage and Stephanie Bickford) a script without a murderer. Curiously, it's played straight, with little social or sexual subtext. Still, it's nostalgic, affectionate fun. GS
Harking Harold
BETRAYAL by Harold Pinter, directed and performed by Ross McMillan, Linda Quibell and Kevin Williamson. Presented by English Suitcase at Robert Gill. July 12 at 9:30 pm, July 13 at 6:30 pm, July 14 at 12:30 pm. Rating: NNNN
Pinter's classic about an affair, revealed in scenes that go backward in time, gets an excellent production that makes you see and hear the play in a new way. The fine actors reveal their characters carefully, and their use of British accents -- something Soulpepper didn't do in their fine production last season -- suits the play's language and emotional brittleness. Images and words ricochet throughout the tense and swift 80 minutes, and the usually understated final scene feels genuinely climactic and exhilarating. GS
Hair raising
DA KINK IN MY HAIR by Trey Anthony, directed by Anthony and Weyni Mengesha. Presented by Plaitform Entertainment at the Tarragon Mainspace. July 12 at 4:30 pm, July 14 at 7:30 pm, July 15 at 3 pm. Rating: NNNN
What a treat to see a stageful of black women acting up a storm! Trey Anthony's series of monologues set in a beauty salon, Da Kink In My Hair, allows six women the chance to reveal their inner lives, hopes and tragedies. Anthony herself twines it all together as the comic owner of the salon, and those around her deliver their monologues from the heart. The narratives are sometimes predictable, and I'd like to hear something from an older woman, but the energy and performances can't be beat. You go, girls. JK
Terrific Tankus
NOT YET, AT ALL by Edith Tankus and Tmâs Kubinek. Presented by Petrified Wood at the Glen Morris. July 13 at 10:30 pm, July 14 at 3:30 pm. Rating: NNNN
You won't find a more bizarre circus than that created by Edith Tankus and Tmâs Kubinek in Not Yet, At All, a finely tuned piece of storytelling and aerial work that follows the adventures of Francesca, who runs away from a home for wayward girls and ends up in a carnival of queer characters. Tankus plays them all, switching verbally and physically with quicksilver skill from a sadistic nun to a creepy, slinky, worldly-wise head dancer and a sideshow monkey. A performer of considerable charm, she conveys the magic of flight (in several senses) and the script's sinister subtext in a quietly hypnotic presentation. JK
Ng's on
I. by John Ng, directed by Shannon Reynolds. Presented by Last Call at the Helen Gardiner Phelan. July 13 at 12:30 pm, July 15 at 6:30 pm. Rating: NNNN
John Ng's ambitious script about an immigrant Chinese family and an illegal refugee who shakes up their world wobbles at the halfway mark, but there's lots of genuine drama at the beginning and end. The characters are sharply defined and sympathetic, and director Shannon Reynolds choreographs the complicated plot, which bridges past, present and two continents, assuredly. Ng's a little too fond of group monologues, and I'd like to have known a bit more about the crucial dead mother. But this is a thoughtful show, beautifully staged and lit, with clear performances, especially by the intense Marjorie Chan. GS
Czech this out
AUDIENCE, UNVEILING, PROTEST by Vaclav Havel, directed by Dean Gabourie. Presented by The Company at the Victory Cafe (581 Markham). July 12 and 14 at 9:30 pm, July 13 at 9 pm, July 15 at 6:30 pm. Rating: NNNN
Here's a production you have to work at, but the rewards are rich. The Company has taken three one-acts by Czech author/dissident/president Vaclav Havel and woven them into the simultaneously presented narrative of one Vanek (Richard Alan Campbell), a playwright who's been jailed for his anti-government views. (One guess on whether the works are autobiographical.) It takes a while to get into the skilful intercutting of episodes, but director Dean Gabourie and his cast do some wonderful work creating a society where eavesdropping, covering your ass and offering casuistical excuses for acting -- or not acting -- are as necessary as breathing. JK
Bandits payoff
FITCH & CABBAGE: The GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD created and performed by Baz Barrett, David Beecroft, Stewart Matthews and Justin Sage-Passant. Presented by Screwed & Clued at the Tarragon Mainspace. July 13 at 9:30 pm, July 14 at 3 pm. Rating: NNN
With wonderful physical verve and some neat send-ups of 18th-century characters and dialogue, this British quartet tell the tale of a pair of highwaymen caught between the romance of poetic robbery and the actuality of shitty lives. It could be shorter, but there's no denying the talent and infectious fun exploding in this show, with David Beecroft and Stewart Matthews as the title pair, Baz Barrett as their inept pursuer and a hysterically funny Justin Sage-Passant as his sado-masochistic minion, called, well, Minion. Monty Python fans take note. JK
Hope slides
THE HOPE SLIDE by Joan MacLeod, directed by Nicole Arends. Presented by Slide Productions at the Tarragon Extra Space. July 13 at 8 pm, July 15 at noon. Rating: NNN
The Hope Slide is a powerful piece about death, rebellion, community and, not surprisingly, hope. Director Nicole Arends's decision to divide the central role of Irene Dickson between two performers doesn't fully pay off, for Siobhan Power's elder Irene fails to provide enough involvement or presence in the narrative until near the end. In an unintentional way, she's upstaged by Mary Krohnert as the passionate teenage Irene. The two, one large and one small, offer some strong visual images, but an appropriate theatrical balance hasn't been struck. JK
Well Donna
PRIMA DONNA by Arthur Benjamin, directed by Gabrielle Kemeny. Presented by dualtone at Robert Gill. July 12 at 8 pm, July 13 at 3:30 pm, July 14 at midnight. Rating: NNN
More entertaining and melodious than most contemporary operas, Arthur Benjamin's farcical Prima Donna boasts a frothy plot about a scheming young man, his rich uncle, duelling sopranos and a wily maid. Sung very well in English and sharply directed by Gabrielle Kemeny, the show proves a sweet confection, with fine performances by singers D. Oliver Henderson and Susan Black and pianist Jo-Anne Wurster. Worth seeing for the drinking song alone. GS
Hail Mary
WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARY written and performed by Mary Crosbie, directed by Jeanie Calleja. Presented by Bitchcraft at Clinton's (693 Bloor West). July 13 at 10 pm, July 14 at 8 pm. Rating: NNN
It meanders a bit and the conclusion feels tacked on, but there's lots of honesty and directness in Mary Crosbie's script about an agoraphobic, insomniac recovering alcoholic (Crosbie) who's receiving psychic messages from her evil twin brother (Crosbie with moustache) while stuck in a slum surrounded by bizarre neighbours. What makes the show stomach-hurtingly funny is Crosbie's frighteningly over-the-top performance, both live and in a series of sharp videos. Director Jeanie Calleja reins in the rising star's manic energy and orchestrates the action -- which includes many offstage local comics -- with confidence. GS
Broken Wing
FEAR OF FLYING adapted by Cayle Chernin and Ned Vukovic from the Erica Jong novel, directed by Vukovic. Presented by the Underground Company at the Poor Alex. July 12 at 8:30 pm, July 15 at 4 pm. Rating: NN
Erica Jong's 70s best-seller about the comic liberation -- sexual and psychological -- of Isadora Wing proves a dated stage piece. This one-woman adaptation features Lorraine Sinclair as the worried, male-dependent central figure, caught between romanticism and a budding feminism as she joins her husband at a shrinks' convention in Vienna. In Sinclair's hands, it comes across not as a character study but as an hour of limp stand-up. For those who loved The Vagina Monologues. JK
Spotty Dick
THE DICK'S A DAME by Jane Moffat and Cheryl McNamara, directed by Sue Miner. Presented by Femme Fatale at the Factory Mainspace. July 12 at 11 pm, July 14 at noon, July 15 at 4:30 pm. Rating: NNN
Sue Miner has directed some 10 Fringe shows, so it's no surprise that this parody of hard-boiled 1940s detective stories and films is staged to perfection. Scenes are efficiently set up, theatrical challenges like car chases are realized beautifully, and the noirish characters are easily identifiable. The script, complete with lesbian subtext, is intentionally overwritten, though some jokes overstay their welcome and Jane Moffat's detective remains thin. But the actors are on target, especially Mark Brownell and Ron Kennell, who sneaks away with the show as a Peter Lorre type. GS
Novel mistake
LIFE AFTER GOD by Douglas Coupland, adapted and performed by David Chayim Eden, directed by Jordan Merkur. Presented by TH&B at the Tarragon Mainspace. July 12 at 3 pm, July 13 at 6:30 pm, July 15 at noon. Rating: NN
Douglas Coupland's philosophical, entertaining writing may work on the page, but David Eden's adaptation and presentation of Life After God doesn't prove its theatricality. Sitting in a leaky tent on Vancouver Island, Scout looks back on his life and friends and recounts their individual and collective journeys. The imagistic writing occasionally strikes a chord, but Eden's flat performance fails to bring any of the figures to life. JK
Needs Flushing
FLUSH by Mary Francis Moore, Alison Lawrence and Annabel Griffiths, directed by Moore. Presented by Primary Colours at Factory Mainspace. July 12 at noon, July 13 at 11:30 pm, July 15 at 9 pm. Rating: NN
The talented writers behind last season's hit bittergirl are clearly experimenting in this ambitious look at a 40th wedding anniversary set in an unlikely Ally McBeal-style unisex washroom. Eleven characters enter, metaphorically dump and exit, giving us clues to the bitter rivalries, unhealed wounds and undeclared passions of a dysfunctional extended family. But there are too many balls to juggle, and many of them aren't worth catching by the end. GS
Clown odyssey
DAY ONE: A PREHISTORIC CLOWN SHOW written and performed by Helen Donnelly and Pierre Trudel, directed by Susanna Hamnett. Presented by Day One at Robert Gill. July 12 at 5 pm, July 13 at 2 pm, July 14 at 7 pm. Rating: NNN
Lots of laughs ensue as prehistoric clowns Dahgo (Pierre Trudel) and Foo (Helen Donnelly) hatch from their respective eggs to stalk prey (wind-up toys), seek shelter and discover fire. The stakes aren't high enough from the start, though, and a shaky tone and abrupt ending mar the second half. But there's a great look to the piece, and the performances, especially Donnelly's as the twitching and ever-so-bossy Foo, are solid. GS
Values' assets
CHRISTIAN VALUES by Bobby Del Rio, directed by Nicole Stamp. Presented by Filthy Mexican at the Helen Gardiner Phelan. July 12 at 6:30 pm, July 13 at 8:30 pm, July 14 at 2 pm. Rating: NNNN
Bobby Del Rio's slick, well-crafted script about the ethical dilemma facing an ace salesman named Christian (Scott McCord) has a Mamet-influenced rhythm and grace that's catchy and hypnotic. Director Nicole Stamp gives it a snappy production with smart, occasionally ingenious details that always match what's happening in a scene -- be it high-stakes business, casual domesticity or something in between. The performances are as good as any you'll see at the Fringe, especially McCord's morally troubled protagonist. GS
Soufflé rises
HOW TO MAKE A SOUFFLE by Mitch Moldofsky, directed by Erika Varga. Presented by Evening Swan at Helen Gardiner Phelan. July 13 at 5:30 pm, July 14 at 10 pm. Rating: NNN
Two spoiled, horribly pampered yups with serious emotional baggage try to communicate and salvage their relationship on a weekend retreat in this derivative but solid drama. The central metaphor is strained, and the performances -- especially Jane Watson's -- are pitched way too high from the start. But writer Mitch Moldofsky has cojones to name his characters George and Martha (after Albee's Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?), and in the end the emotional and literal game-playing feels authentic. GS
Safe skating
MINUS 1 by Sunil Kuruvilla, directed by Henry Bakker. Presented by ragandbones shop at St. George's College (120 Howland). July 12 and 14 at 8 pm, July 13 at 6:30 pm, July 15 at 4 pm. Rating: NNN
Here's proof that there's a heart in a hockey rink. Tom, the solo figure in this outdoor production, works at an open-air rink that might soon be closed in favour of a big indoor arena, and he's not too happy about the change -- Zambonis aren't his thing. Under Henry Bakker's direction, Mike Peng gives Tom a sense of humour, a longing for his boss's wife and dedication to Kitchener life and sports. As he spends a night too warm for flooding the rink, Tom writes notes, tape-records messages and in the process reveals lots of humanity. Think of it as Zen and the art of rink maintenance. JK
Kisses connect
TWO BLUSHING PILGRIMS written and performed by Marie Beath Badian, Mark Andrada, Lindsay Wilson, Glen Sheppard and Richard MacDonagh. Presented by A Kiss Collective at the Helen Gardiner Phelan. July 13 at midnight, July 14 at 4 pm. Rating: NNN
This collectively written piece about the good, the bad and the ugly kisses in the creators' lives should be a crowd-pleaser. After all, there's lots to identify with in these dramatic, lyrical and sometimes abrupt recreations of smooches past and present. Imaginative flourishes include puppets and some smart music choices -- Prince, sure, but also Sondheim. Proudly all-inclusive, the ensemble boasts a fresh young cast including Mark Andrada and Marie Beath Badian, who brings much-needed warmth to a scene as a widow. GS
Cocteau hour
THE HUMAN VOICE by Francis Poulenc and Jean Cocteau, directed by Edward Franko, musical direction by William Shookhoff. Presented by Tryptych Productions at the Robert Gill. July 12 at 3:30 pm, July 14 at 5:30 pm, July 15 at 8:30 pm. Rating: NNN
Poulenc and Cocteau's classic short opera about a suicidal woman talking to her about-to-be-ex-lover on the phone gets a bare-bones production that boasts a fine performance by mezzo Penelope Cookson and an even finer one by keyboardist William Shookhoff. The sensual score expresses every depressing peak and valley in the woman's psyche, but the show occasionally feels slack and monotonous. GS
Smart fun
THE ROOT OF ALL SQUARES written and performed by Sam Varteniuk and Sterling Lynch. Presented by Inter-Galactic Theatre Collective at the Tarragon Extra Space. July 12 at noon, July 14 at 1:30 pm, July 15 at 7:30 pm. Rating: NNN
Call it Abbott and Costello meet Logic 101 and Economics 202. In this prize winner of the Fringe New Play Contest, two guys argue about a square of red tape on the floor and bring into the discussion such things as irony, the nature of material worth and pointy rocks. It's a zippy philosophical comedy, with writer/actors Sam Varteniuk and Sterling Lynch lobbing the verbal balls back and forth with zest. Their dialogue and interaction suggest the clownish figures in Waiting For Godot with a different set of intellectual concerns. JK
Golden Apple
THE APPLE OF CONTENTMENT by Howard Pyle, directed by Bert Steinmanis. Presented by Apple of My Eye at the Palmerston Library. July 12 at 3:45 pm, July 13 at 1:30 pm, July 14 at noon. Rating: NNN
A fairy tale dons disco duds in The Apple Of Contentment, a cloned Cinderella tale about a goose girl with a pushy mother and wicked siblings who marries the king with the help of a magical tree. It's an involving, audience-participation show for kids up to 10, filled with rhyming speeches, exuberant performances -- I especially liked Lada Darewych's domineering Dame Tinney -- and some clever costumes by Victoria Pearce. JK
